Viral Sighting and Official Responses
The Governor’s Call for Protection: Bohol Governor Erico Aris Aumentado shared a netizen-captured video depicting a deer grazing alongside goats in Barangay Hanopol, Balilihan, Bohol. Highlighting it as a potential win for local biodiversity, he ordered an immediate verification check, stating, “Dapat ma-protektahan ni” (This needs to be protected), while warning of the risk of illegal poaching.
The Mayor’s Warning Against Misinformation: Balilihan Mayor Trisha Chatto clarified that there is currently no officially validated evidence proving a brown deer is present in the area. Local media and municipal officers have been unable to reach the original video uploader, and the original social media post has since been removed or made unsearchable.
Ongoing Investigation: Mayor Chatto instructed residents to report any physical sightings directly to their barangay captains or the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator so the local government can coordinate an official field assessment with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Biological Significance
Historically, the Philippine brown deer (Rusa marianna)—currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat fragmentation and overhunting—was feared to be completely extinct on the island of Bohol.
If the DENR confirms a wild population in Balilihan, it would rewrite the active range map for the species, similar to the recent, verified rediscovery of the deer on the island of Marinduque after decades of presumed absence.
Until on-site validation is complete, authorities urge the public to avoid spreading unverified footage to prevent drawing poachers to the municipal forests.
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